The Australian Brands in China Index 2019 has revealed the alcoholic beverages Chinese consumers know and trust most … and Penfolds didn’t make the top 10.
XXXX, Bundaberg Rum, Lindeman’s Wines, Hardy’s Wines and Burch Family Wines were their favourite picks.
The report, curated by Dr Eugene Chan from Monash University’s Business School and financed by Digital Crew, canvassed 102 Australian brands across eight industries (tourism & airlines, FMCG, health, beauty and cosmetics, property and investment, food and beverage, education, banking).
It surveyed nine thousand Chinese men and women across tier one and tier two cities to reveal findings about the perceptions that Chinese consumers have about Australian brands.
The research is the first of its kind to monitor Australian Brands In China to reveal Chinese consumer insights.
The study reveals that 42.6% men and 57.4% women within the age bracket of 24 to 67 years from tier 1 and tier 2 cities preferred brands that offered quality, convenience, trustworthiness and innovativeness on the attribute scale.
XXXX comes out on top
The number one brand overall on the index was Adina Apartment Hotels, followed by Qantas Airways, Mantra Hotels and then XXXX in the No.4 spot.
Lion Brand Director Amy Darvill had a few theories forBrews News on why XXXX was a favourite alcohol brand.
“There is no doubt that many tourists would have tried a few GOLD’s when visiting, or at least experienced how loved the brand is here in Australia,” she said.
“Secondly, we can’t escape the symbolism of our colours. To my understanding both gold and red are considered lucky colours in China – and as key assets of our brand I am sure this contributes to our popularity.”
However, Darvill said there were no plans yet to invest further in the Chinese market at this stage.
“Australian brands need to establish their dominance and prevalence over other foreign brands in the world’s largest economy and, in order to be successful in China, Australian brands need a long-term strategy,” Digital Crew co-founder Ophenia Liang said.
“Many facts uncovered in the report are shocking as they thread over a wide disconnect between the way brands are perceived in Australia and the way they are perceived in China.”
While “value for money” and quality are now important to Chinese consumers when choosing Australian brands, “trendiness” as an attribute is out, the research says.
The index, which seeks to provide deeper insights into changing Chinese consumer preferences, was launched last year.
